The Space Race

In the 1960s, the Soviet Union and the U.S. began a race to be the first to send a man to space. In the beginning of this race was marked with the Soviet Union  launching Sputnik. This struck fear into the U.S., they feared that if the Soviets could launch a satellite over the U.S.maybe they could send a missile too. The U.S. won the space race by sending men to the moon in 1969, nearly 12 years after Sputnik.

Neil Armstrong

Sputnik

Earth from the Moon

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War began on November 1, 1955 and lasted to April 30, 1975. The War was between North Vietnamese Communists and the South Vietnamese. This war was one of the hardest that the U.S. had ever fought because they were not only fighting the North Vietnamese but the South Vietnamese guerilla fighters who were for Communism. The U.S. fought in Vietnam War from 1965 to August 1973. 58,209 American soldiers were lost in the Vietnam War along with 153,303 wounded. America lost the Vietnam War which deepened Americans distrust in Government.

Entering Vietnam

J.F.K.

Ho Chi Minh

Leaving Vietnam

American Prosperity

   After WWII America's economy boomed. The combination of new jobs caused by the War and a decreased spending becuse of a lack of luxuries helped America get out of the funk of the Great Depression. American families were now able to afford to take off work  and go on vacations, they were also able to afford the new appliances of the day. This helped take America to a new level of power in the world. 

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Average 1950s kitchen

1950s family vaction

The Cold War

At the end of WWII Soviet Russia had began work on their own nuclear missiles. this brought the constant threat of nuclear war to the U.S. and a distrust of the Soviet Union that would last for over forty years. This feeling was strongest in the 1950s because of the Korean War, where the Soviet Union helped North Korea try to take over South Korea. This ended in basically with no resolution but reinforced the U.S, fear of Russia.

Joseph Stalin 

President Harry S. Truman 

The 1950s Baby BOOM

The end of WWII brought a new view of the typical American family. Returning servicemen arrived to their new wives, whom they hastily married before they were shipped off to the war, and began families. The average size of families actually decreased at this time but the number of families increased by about 11 million. The larger amount of families created a new demand for new cheap houses. and so the tract house was born, and brought with it suburbia and a new way of life.

A long line of new baby boomers

Postage stamp reflecting the new feel of the baby boom

Tract house